Salty Taste in Mouth – Causes, Treatment, Symptoms

Some people may have unpleasant taste in the mouth like that of eaten salt. Though you may not have actually consumed salt, still there would be constant taste of salty taste in your mouth. Number of factors triggers such unpleasant taste and some of them are given below:-

1. Blood : Blood can induce salty taste in mouth and you can accidentally have blood discharge in the mouth when you have bitten your tongue or simply because of infectious gums. Bleeding gums will produce blood occasionally that may produce salty taste. You can set right this problem by visiting your dentist immediately.

2. Dehydration : Loss of fluids in the body is called dehydration. Optimal level of body fluids is absolutely necessary for maintaining balance of ions and when there is dehydration, it can make saliva to taste salty. You may develop dehydration due to underlying medical issues like diarrhea, vomiting and also by excess of alcohol consumption. You may feel this salty taste in mouth which is more intense in the mornings. In that case, you need to drink at least 8 glasses of water to keep yourself hydrated.

3. Infection In The Salivary Glands : When there is some infectious development in the salivary gland it may reduce saliva secretion which may cause salty taste. You need to consult your doctor to eliminate this problem.

4. Crying : When you cry, obviously there will be tears and it have chances to enter into your mouth to produce salty taste.

5. Drugs : Several medicines given for cancer may produce bitter or salty taste in the mouth. In case you are taking medications for cancer, then you can consult your doctor to alter the course of medicines.

6. Mucus : Sometimes, when the mucus of phlegm may enter into your mouth by nasal drainage which may cause unpleasant salty taste in your mouth. This happens when you are suffering from common cold during which you would expel the phlegm.

7. Teeth Problem : Again there may be bacterial infection on the teeth which may develop on accumulated food particles in your mouth. This may definitely cause foul smell and salty taste in the mouth. You need to brush your teeth properly and use antibacterial mouthwash to get rid of this problem.

8. Deficiency : There may be vitamin deficiency in blood which may produce salty taste. You need to get your blood tested and take suitable supplementary diet for eliminating this issue.

9. Underlying Medical Issues : Certain brain tumors or faulty nerve impulses may produce this taste in the mouth. If you have no other cause like the above, and if you have symptoms like severe headache and drowsiness with salty taste, then you need to consult a neurologist for getting MRI test on your brain.

Treatment :

First you need to find out the real cause that produces salty taste. Depending on the causative factor, you can treat the symptoms to manage the bitter taste. Dental problems like bleeding gums and plague can be fixed by your dentist.

Sometimes, your physician may not be able to identify the real cause and this condition is known as “phantom taste”. You can prevent this situation by drinking plenty of fluids and keeping your mouth well hydrated.

Several home remedies are available to keep the mouth in moist condition. In case of dental problem, you should avoid taking sugar and its related products. Keeping the gums sugar-free will reduce the salty taste in mouth. You can try changing your toothpaste to non-whitening one or herbal toothpaste.

Avoid taking alcohol since that may make you dehydrated. Reduce the intake of coffee or other beverages which may increase dehydration. Also avoid eating acidic foods which may induce gas problem in the stomach which may be felt as reflex in the mouth.

Check with your family physician if the problem is due to the side effects of any medicines that you take for diabetes or hypertension. Some antidepressant drugs may also produce salty taste and you can consult your doctor to change the medicine.